Darwin’s naturalization conundrum disentangled: the role of phylogenetic relatedness depends on the invasion stages

We collected data on 5,091 alien angiosperm species that have been introduced to Southern Africa for cultivation. Then combined with lists of the global flora non-native to Southern Africa (n= 24,974 species), the naturalized and native species within the region of Southern Africa, and the species that have become invasive within the country of South Africa. This novel combination of datasets was used to test the Darwin’s naturalization conundrum at the different stages of the invasion process. Specifically, we showed how phylogenetic relatedness to native species is correlated with the subsequent stages of introduction, naturalization and invasiveness of alien species.